The January issue of AJN is now live.

AJN’s 2025 Book of the Year Awards can be found in the the current issue. Browse judges’ choices in a wide variety of categories.

On this month’s cover is Eyes of Gold 2 [Children of The Sun With Moon Crescent Blood], a work by artist Rizzy Akanji, creative director of Akanji Studio—a London-based art and storytelling house that “uses visual art, poetry, and creative education to raise awareness for sickle cell disorder and to transform lived experiences of pain into expressions of power and beauty.”

Below are articles from the January issue we’d like to draw your attention to:

A review article (CE credit available), “Sickle Cell Disease: Treatment Options of the Past, Present, and Future,” gives an up-to-date overview of what every nurse will want to know about this challenging and painful condition.

“Exploring Retention Among Army Nurses: A Qualitative Study” is an open access original research article based on the authors’ interviews with active-duty Army nurses. It identifies two key priorities that emerged from interviews and subsequent analysis as to why nurses choose to stay.

The second original research article in our January issue is “Evaluation of a Standardized Electronic Argatroban Dosing Nomogram for Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia: A Retrospective Study.” According to the authors, “While the implementation of a standardized electronic argatroban dosing nomogram and e-CDS tools did not result in a shorter time to a second consecutive therapeutic aPTT value, it was associated with a significant increase in nurse nomogram compliance and significantly fewer bleeding events.”

Our quality improvement article this month details a project that focused on “Improving the Venipuncture Experience in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.”

Our editorial by editor-in-chief Carl Kirton, “New Year, New Joint Commission Measure,” discusses the Joint Commission’s elevation of nurse staffing to the status of a National Performance Goal (NPG), a step which “acknowledges nurse staffing’s importance to the quality of the care provided and protects patient safety.” At the same time, he argues, this measure may be misapplied by those who mistake the letter of the law for the intent. In addition, writes Kirton, the question of how we define quality needs further exploration. (All editorials are free to read.)

The author of our Specialty Spotlight article this month makes the case for the nurse coach role: “The nurse coach can work within their area of population interest while incorporating aspects of mind, body, and spiritual well-being into the paradigm of health. I was drawn to this area . . . because of the focus on wellness rather than illness, which to me embodies positivity. Becoming a nurse coach has allowed me to blend my professional and personal values, experience, and interests.”

Our Reflections column, “A Certain Quality of Attention,” is by a nurse who was drawn to the profession by the compassionate attention to even the smallest details shown by nurses to her tragically ill younger brother through his repeated hospitalizations.

Finally, don’t miss the extensive health care news sections, the Drug Watch and Journal Watch sections, our monthly Viewpoint column, and more.

Browse and subscribe.

You can subscribe to AJN, America’s oldest (125 years and counting) general interest nursing journal, for just $52.00 for a year (12 issues), whether for yourself or as a gift. AJN stands out from other nursing journals for the variety and timeliness of its content, the rigor of its review and editing, and the continuing attention to appearance, including covers that often feature original and vivid artwork and illustrations. Visit us online at https://ajnonline.com.